County Pocket: Landowner seeks to revive townhouse plans

A complex of 14 three-story townhomes is being proposed for the vacant 1.5-acre parcel

on the south side of Briny Breezes Boulevard.

Photo from Google Maps

By Jane Smith

The small oceanfront parcel that once housed the Pelican Apartments along the informal Dog Beach could become the spot for 14 three-story townhomes, with construction to start next year. One of the landowners, Joseph Basile Sr., said representatives from 30 Ocean met with the county zoning staff in June to see whether they could revive plans from 2005. “We are just going through the process,” Basile said on Sept. 23. “We are not asking for any approvals, so there won’t be public hearings.” He estimated it would take another six to nine months to receive the permits needed to start work on the site, which is 1.5 acres, according to the county Property Appraiser’s website. But the potential owner’s land-use law firm, Dunay Miskel and Backman of Boca Raton, estimates the property size at 1.98 acres with 16 townhomes allowed. The parcel was approved for 12 townhomes and the potential landowner wants to build 14 townhomes. Sitting in a county pocket east of Ocean Boulevard, the parcel is bordered to the north by the mobile-home community of Briny Breezes. James Arena, a Briny Breezes resident and Boynton Beach real estate broker, said he can’t imagine someone building high-end townhomes without getting control of a segment of Old Ocean Boulevard that splits the east side of the parcel, leaving a sliver along the beachfront. “Maybe as they start going through the process, they will see they really need the road,” Arena said. But using Old Ocean Boulevard was never part of the plans, Basile said recently. However, in spring 2014, he met with the Villas of Malibu owners in the county pocket and discussed the abandonment of Old Ocean and the eastern half of Seaview Avenue. If the landowner follows the county zoning code and doesn’t request any waivers or roads to be abandoned, the project can be approved administratively without public hearings, according to Maryann Kwok, deputy zoning director. She said as many as 16 county agencies will have to review the application after it’s submitted. One-third of the project’s land sits east of the state’s coastal construction line. Any buildings erected there would have to be approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The 30 Ocean land-use law firm submitted a pre-application letter for a contract purchaser, Guardianship Properties LLC, which is not active, according to state records. They show the company listed Daniel Azel as president. He also is president of the Miami construction firm Andale Group. Azel could not be reached for comment by press time.